New Twitter Executive Services

Don’t flame me on this, this program is not for everyone, but for the super busy executive who wants to use Twitter and wants to outsource it, this is the perfect service.

We are now providing Twitter Executive services. What this means is if you want to jump start your Twitter account, get set up, initial followers, website and other social media integration (where allowed), personalized training, research of sites to glean interesting content from, training on how to use TweetDeck and the first week of great Twitter posts, this is for you.

For executives who totally want to farm out Twittering (okay I know it is tweets here, but the “money keywords” are twittering), we will do it. We will be very selective over what we take on, but we provide the option for executives who want to pay for premium services.

Twitter is a great platform. I really like it and think that it is fun. It provides a neat way to “go viral” by interacting with others. I’ve had wonderful success with Twitter recently in promoting one of my own mini-white papers, Twitter Demystified for Business Users. So if you are ready to take on Twitter you may just want to give this  new Twitter program your consideration.

Viral Promotion in Action – My Own Paper!

Man I was shocked earlier today, I found out that my special mini-whitepaper, “Twitter Demystified for Business Users“, was on the home page of SitePro News. SitePro News is the web’s most widely read webmaster resource. It’s like the New York Times for my industry! (I linked to the article on its own page although by now, it has probably moved off the home page.)

Now, I am not sure if SitePro News picked up my article from Twitter or if they found it from one of the ezines syndication sites that I posted my newest article on, but the buzz on Twitter alone has been huge.

Today on Twitter as well, there was a flurry of activity and link love pointing to my paper. I picked up a steady and constant stream of new Twitter followers – just from one great article that got disseminated in a variety of ways.

This is an excellent example of how viral marketing using Twitter and article marketing can be used together to promote your business endeavors. Wow, even I’m impressed. I don’t always put my special edition e-newsletter articles on syndication services, but I will certainly look to do that more frequently with this particular reaction.

Twitter Demystified for Business Users

Follow me on TwitterTwitter is the current top “hot property” on the Web, but its popularity and how to use it has mystified many business owners. Many people think that they want to, or should be using Twitter, but simply do not understand the platform, its use, or its place in building web exposure. This article will demystify Twitter and help you to learn how to use it in the workplace and to promote your business.

First, I have to say that I had been confused on how to use Twitter to benefit my own business until I downloaded TweetDeck. TweetDeck is a desktop application that allows you to review and post status updates on Twitter and Facebook simultaneously. I consider it a “must have” application for anyone who wants to make sense of Twitter. TweetDeck allows you to sort the people you follow on Twitter into groups, allows you to limit the number of Tweets (Twitter micro posts) to be shown at any one time, and also allows you to remove all Tweets you have seen with one click. Additionally, using TweetDeck, finally a Twitter search on a topic makes sense.

Since using TweetDeck, I have had a much better Twitter experience. As a Twitter newbie, visiting your own Twitter home page is intimidating; it consists of post after post from people who you are following, who you may not know much about, and it just seems like a huge volume of content. To get started effectively first group the people who actually have something interesting to say on TweetDeck and voila, you have a powerful tool that keeps you at the forefront of what is happening in your industry and on the Web.

So how do you get started with Twitter? Well the first thing is to start on Twitter yourself to understand what you like to read, who you like to follow, and to clearly identify what you like about Twitter. For me, it boils down to this: I like to follow people in my industry who say something of value, who provide a link to a new application or point me to an interesting new article, video, or blog site that I should review but may have never have found myself. Based on what I like, and the people who I find interesting to read, I now write my Twitter posts using this same formula to grow my own Twitter audience.

What I also like about Twitter is that the people who I follow also know how to show their true personality in their Tweets. Ye,s I do like to know what Danny Sullivan (famous search engine marketing guru) ate for lunch, but better yet is the link to the video he thought was funny. I love following Ashton Kutcher (movie star married to Demi Moore who just hit 1 million Twitter followers in April). Man, that guy is really funny and is having a ball with Twitter. His posts are great and he has just earned the status of the user with the most followers. This is why you can’t hire someone to “Ghost Twitter” for you. It’s about showing the real you – you can’t fake that!

So how can you use Twitter for business? Twitter is an excellent tool for linking and this is the real value for businesses. By using Twitter to point people to content on your website, articles you have written either on or off your website, or by linking to a service you want to highlight, you drive traffic. On top of that, Google actually indexes Twitter and so your Twitter page can appear in the organic search results so make sure your bio is well thought out. Don’t waste time using Twitter to point to blog posts, use TwitterFeed to post your blog posts directly onto Twitter. If you have a blog or website, you’ll get new Twitter followers by posting your TwitterFeed right onto your web pages. People who may not have known your Twitter ID can simply click the bottom “follow me link” and start following you on Twitter.

Twitter helps you to connect to others.What’s important to be successful in using Twitter is to identify what you personally like about this new media and then deliver the same type of things that you like back to your own followers – work to provide value not drivel! So you’ve got to play with Twitter and learn how to use it first before you can really become successful with it for your business.

So how do you get followers? Well, I started by following everyone (who I found by doing a Twitter search) who had the last name McCord. Then I searched for web design, search engine optimization, and pay per click. Any site profile that looked good, I clicked to follow the writer. It was that easy. Many times people who you follow yourself will choose to follow you. That’s how you initially build up your Twitter base. Over time you will start to identify your “Twitter voice” and refine the type of Twitter presence you want to have by changing your content style and the things that you Tweet about. As you refine your presence, you will build a following.

Another cool Twitter use is that you can reply to any of your followers by simply putting an @ in front of their Twitter ID. For example to send something to my attention use @mccordweb at the very front of your Twitter posting and click enter. Just remember that this post is seen by all followers on my site and on your Twitter site. If you need a more private exchange, go to the direct message link on the Twitter.com site and select a follower by Twitter ID name and send your message from there. This note will be private. If you are using TweetDeck you can click on a follower’s Twitter ID icon and then select to send a direct message or @reply to them. TweetDeck will automatically insert the correct syntax for you in the Tweet.

For many businesses the ability for users to communicate with top management using Twitter is an invaluable resource. This one-to-one exchange allows a company principal to keep tabs on customer viewpoints, concerns, and interests. As a Twitter reply or direct mail does not use email and does not require a response, this is a great way to tap into social networking to test new ideas and to ask for user feedback. For example, if you have a new software product ask your Twitter followers for feedback on a specific feature, or provide a link to your beta version for their testing.

How you use Twitter is all about your personal business needs. The best advice that I can offer to you is that you need to use Twitter a bit yourself first to understand the medium and to find out what you like to read best using Twitter. Then, create your own Twitter network sharing information that you find interesting and have some fun.

Currently I am following 204 people and 183 people are following me on Twitter. Personally I find Twitter great fun and a very cool way to find out first what’s happening in the world before you see it on TV, read it on the Web, or see it in the newspaper. That’s the real power of Twitter; you share, you find out, and you know, all by a person-to-person exchange of information.

This article actually continues and shows you how to use free applications to get the most of Twitter, visit our download page to grab the PDF file to read the rest of the article or read it online in our instruction section.

Special Issue: How to Get Involved With Twitter

This special newsletter issue will help you to learn how to use Twitter for business and pleasure. I’ll explain what Twitter is, why you should use it, and how to get going using it. Additionally, I’ll point out some cool app’s to use with Twitter to help you get the most from its use.

One of the most important things you should take away from this special issue is that Twitter is considered very hot. It is an emerging application that has not been monetized yet and will probably be purchased this next year by the likes of Google or some other behemoth on the Web.

Read our December e-newsletter for all our tips and information.

I’m a Social Networking Convert

If you are not networking via LinkedIn or Facebook with clients and prospects you are really missing out on an enriching experience.

People in this day and age really put a high value on personal interaction, but not by face to face meeting, rather interaction in “safe places” like LinkedIn and Facebook. I personally find the interaction refreshing and participation is opening up a wider global marketplace in which to provide my services. But, I have to say that my interaction in these social networking sites is not all about selling, it is about connecting on a personal level one person at a time.

When was the last time you saw pictures of a client’s 8 month old baby and were able to interact and then find out that your client had four kids? What about the time were you knew in advance a prospect or client’s birthday the day before so you could send a personal email and digital gift? These social networking sites cement relationships that you have and help to build new ones that you would like to have.

I will be testing out a new “Facebook-like” site in India for a new connection which I found through LinkedIn Answers. The review will be interesting for me and of value to him to have experienced feedback. No pay involved, just good will and an opportunity to be exposed to the growing market in India. Who knows were that business relationship will go.

Social networking is fun, doesn’t take much time, and I find the business opportunities endless for the savvy entrepreneur. The important thing to remember on these platforms is that it is all about being “real” and seeing what happens when you give a little bit of yourself. Once you really buy into the concept, you’ll be an advocate too, just like me!

What has your experience been with Facebook or LinkedIn? Do you like the applications and do you use them? Click “Leave a Comment” to tell me your experience.